I will always defend university autonomy: Rocha

Culiacán, Sinaloa, January 27, 2023.- Within the framework of signing a collaboration agreement with the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, Governor Rubén Rocha Moya clarified that he will not send any initiative to the State Congress to propose reforms to the organic laws of the autonomous universities in Sinaloa, since he considered that this should be the result of a consultation with the same university communities, as ordered by the General Law of Higher Education, which he himself had to promote in his character of senator of the Republic.

The state president visited the Culiacán campus of the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, where he was received by its rector, Sylvia Paz Díaz Camacho, and other university authorities, to sign a framework agreement with this institution whose purpose is to establish cooperation bases for joint development teaching activities, continuing education, cultural outreach and training.

During his message, Governor Rocha took advantage of his visit to this university to establish his position regarding a debate that arose as a result of the State Congress announcing that in its legislative agenda for 2023 it has considered reforming the organic laws of the Autonomous University from Sinaloa, from the Autonomous Indigenous University of Mexico, and from the Autonomous University of the West itself.

In this regard, he reiterated his unrestricted respect for university autonomy, and stressed that it must be respected from any order, without any de facto power seeking to interfere in it, including groups within the universities themselves.

“I personally say it here and declare it, I am not going to send any initiative to reform the organic laws of any university, of any; This is a commitment that I make here before this community of the UAdeO, when I did it I did it as rector -of the UAS-, which was an approach that the University Council agreed upon, but we do not want to get into that issue, first thing that remains Of course,” he pointed out.

Governor Rocha specified that autonomy means that no de facto power or the government interferes in the decisions of the university, which must have the autonomy to appoint their government, govern themselves, and exercise their academic freedom.

He stressed that these principles are considered in the reform to the second article of the General Law of Higher Education, which he had to promote and approve as president of the Education Commission of the Senate of the Republic, which establishes the condition of not injuring the autonomy university when legislated in the states.

He added that this legislation clearly establishes that the university community should be consulted when any reform to its organic law is intended, and that all its members, students, teachers and workers, not just a representative leadership, should be freely consulted.

“I had to make the General Law of Higher Education as president of the Senate Education Commission, and I drew it being the first law that came out unanimously of all the senators, morenistas, panistas, priistas, all of them, not a single one left to vote for this law,” he recalled.

For her part, Rector Sylvia Paz Díaz Camacho reported that this framework agreement, among many things, will promote training programs, training and updating of human resources at a technical and professional level, develop academic events, such as congresses, seminars, conference cycles and courses of common interest for the benefit of vulnerable communities.

Also develop academic, professional stays, stays and social service linking students from the different areas of knowledge that are taught in each of the nine regional units of the Universidad Autónoma de Occidente.

It should be noted that this is the first agreement signed by Governor Rocha with this institution, which is added to other agreements signed throughout 2022, with the Tecmilenio University, with the University of San Miguel and with the San Sebastián University, for the granting of scholarships for the high school, professional and master’s levels; as well as another agreement with the company Lean Six Sigma International Mexico, to grant White Belt and Yellow Belt certification to state workers.